The global sugar excipients market is dominated by Roquette Group (France), DFE Pharma (Germany), BASF SE (Germany), and Ashland Inc. (U.S.), which together accounted for ~40% to 45% of the global market in 2015. The rest of the market is fragmented in nature with the presence of many local and regional players.

The leading position of Roquette Group (France) in this market is primarily attributed to its strong presence in the sugar excipients market with a broad spectrum of products with proven effectiveness. The company operates its business across more than 100 countries worldwide. It emphasizes on increasing its market presence and geographical network majorly through expansions and acquisitions. For instance, in October 2014, the company opened a pharmaceutical application development center at Lestrem, France. The new center helped the company to enhance the development of excipients and active ingredients for the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to this, in October 2014, Roquette acquired a majority stake in Amilina (Lithuania), a producer of starch and derivatives. With this acquisition, Roquette aimed to reinforce its position in starch and related specialties and intensify its presence in Northern and Eastern Europe.

DFE Pharma (Germany) held the second-largest share in the sugar excipients market in 2015. In the sugar excipients market, the company is largely known for its diversified lactose offerings for the pharmaceutical industry. Its position among the top sugar excipient manufacturers is attributed to its global footprint through distributors and agents. The company is highly focused on expansion of its functional units in emerging countries. For instance, in October 2014, the company opened a new sales office in Shanghai, China to effectively meet the growing demand for excipients products and services in China. In addition, in April 2014, the company opened a new sales office in São Paulo, Brazil to support the growing demand for excipient products and strengthen its presence in South and Central American countries.

BASF SE (Germany) is another well-established player in the sugar excipients market. The company’s stronghold in the global sugar excipients market is largely attributed to its innovative and sustainable products and solutions. It provides customized products to make customers’ production processes more efficient and increase the application of products. The company emphasizes on increasing its market presence and geographical coverage through expansions and agreements in order to remain competitive in the global market. Strategically, the company has planned to invest about USD 13.8 million (EUR 10 billion) from 2013 to 2020 to enhance its geographic footprint in Asia-Pacific. With regard to this, in March 2014, BASF SE opened a new global R&D Center in Navi Mumbai, India, with an initial investment of USD 2.76 million. By 2020, the company plans to conduct around 25% of its global R&D in Asia-Pacific, to develop innovative solutions to address the region’s challenges of resource efficiency, food, and nutrition. In addition, in May 2014, BASF opened its first Nutrition and Health Application Center at Sao Paulo (Brazil) to expand its global innovation network for the food and pharmaceutical industries and strengthen its customer base. Moreover, in February 2013, the company entered into an agreement with Bend Research Inc. (U.S.), a leader in drug delivery technologies and formulation development, to develop novel excipients.

Industry players adopted the strategies of expansions; agreements, alliances, and collaborations to achieve growth in the global sugar excipients market. Expansion was the most-widely adopted strategy between 2013 and 2016. Expansions helped companies to garner larger market shares as well as strengthen their customer base and product portfolio. DFE Pharma (Germany), BASF SE (Germany), Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.), Roquette Group (France), and Ashland Inc. (U.S.) are some leading market players that adopted this strategy. Companies also adopted the strategy of agreements, alliances, and collaborations in strengthen their product portfolios and increase their geographic presence. Some major players adopted these strategies are The Lubrizol Corporation (U.S.), Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.), and BASF SE (Germany).